When it comes to the Kosher households, having the ability to lay out your kitchen in accordance with your beliefs and dietary needs is a true blessing. You have to have a keen eye, but can you spy anything in this kitchen that seems different than your own? The great design makes it hard to see, but this kitchen has a few extra things that yours might not!
Hilary Unger is a graduate of New York School of Interior Design and does functional, high-end design for her company, Perianth (We recently featured a shared boys bedroom of hers over at Ohdeedoh). She creates spaces that are meant to be lived in, not just look pretty and form and function are always first on the list.
In the case of this White Plains, New York home, the client was looking for a Kosher kitchen to help support their religious and dietary needs. What does this mean exactly? For starters is means that the kitchen has been divided into 'dairy' and 'meat' sections. Hilary took this space down to the studs and did a complete renovation and made everything custom for the clients, not wasting an inch of space.
The kitchen has two dishwashers (highlighted above) The full-size dishwasher is located to the right of the sink and is used for 'dairy' dishes. The second 'meat' dishwasher is a Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawer and is located just below the warming drawer to the right of the full-size dishwasher, close to the door. The space has also been loaded with two silverware areas, a huge sub-zero unit, warming drawer, and pantry all of which was done with the Shabbat in mind.
An added eat-in area was added and French doors between the dining room and kitchen were put in. Since everything has a cabinetry faced facade, the integration of the extra appliances and drawers feel seemless and keeps things low-key. It looks like a comfortable place to prepare and eat a meal, but with these few simple additions and new take on the floor plan, it's able to hold all the specific needs for this family.
• Related: Good Question: Not Too-Traditional Passover
(Image: Hilary Unger for Perianth)
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I grew up in a kosher home. we had four sets of dishes and flatware- everyday meat and dairy and Passover meat and dairy. we did not go so far as to have separate dishwashers, ovens or microwave- but we did separate rotations.
My Sister and her family decided to become Shomer Shabbas- a more traditional means of observance. They do not cook on the sabbath- instead they have a warming tray which stays on from before sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday night. and they have a separate bin that goes into the sink for meat dishes.
some may think this is not necessary or over kill, but i definitely noticed a change in how my body feels after i've eaten food separately (not in the same meal). and i love the tradition of it. In our small one bedroom my SO and I do our best to keep separate. however there is a loop hole in that glass ware is non porous and thus can be used for both. which makes having one set of universal drinking glasses much easier especially in our limited kitchen space.
A good friend in high school had a kosher kitchen -- Two counters, two sinks, two dishwashers -- different colour backsplashes to distinguish the meat from the milk. I remember always asking before touching food to plates or cutlery, just to be sure.
My brother is a plumber and has worked on many kosher kitchens. I've always been familiar with the basic dietary laws, but until he told me about it, I never considered the impact they would have on a modern kitchen. It's nice to see that designers can make it work without making a huge deal of it.
I do wonder whether it will be more difficult to sell the house afterward.
What homeowner wouldn't love two dishwashers, extra drawer space and a big fat refrigerator?
I don't think any of these modifications would affect resale.
2 things:
@Oneformybaby - isn't the whole idea behind the sundown Friday-Saturday is that you're not supposed to operate anything that "lights a spark?" Surely the warming drawer uses electricity, right? I had friends in college who were very observant, and on a few Friday nights I'd get them beckoning me into their room to (hint hint) tell me how bright the lights in their room were, or how loud their stereo is.
@sarahrae - I'd imagine observant Jews are likely living in neighborhoods or areas with many other observant Jews, especially if they're going insofar as to walk to temple on Fridays. So I'd imagine the majority of people who would be looking at this house upon selling it would be other observant Jews.
Not just that it will not be more difficult to sell the house afterwards - the opposite! Kosher kitchens are designed for Jewish people, who live in certain areas, close to their synagogues ans so, when they sell, chances are that another Jewish family will be interested in buying the home...
I really like the look of the kitchen overall!
@Erikthered: you are not supposed to LIGHT a spark during the sabbath... but the warming drawer is turned on PRIOR to the start of the sabbath, and kept on (at the same level) for the duration, and doesn't run hot enough to cook anything.
I'm with the first poster...one DW & oven, separate rotations. 4 sets of everything...except for glasses!
For those who have a kosher kitchen, the resale value is immaterial. Like those who must have ADA modifications to accommodate a wheelchair. You do what you have to do to live the life you want.
How cool is that!
Creating a kosher kitchen like this is great... if you have the funds to do it! Don't be fooled, the vast majority of kosher kitchens do not have all these pricey additions. I grew up in a strictly kosher home (and I continue to have my own strictly kosher kitchen), and we didn't have 2 dishwashers (just one... we hand-washed all the meat dishes), and definitely not a warming drawer (we just used a simple tray placed on top of the counter)! Our home *did* come with a partitioned sink, which was fabulous.